Disclosed herein are electric storage cells (e.g., batteries), and more specifically, an improved vanadium boride-air multiple electron high capacity battery.
Transformative advances are needed to increase electrochemical energy storage density within power systems for devices ranging from hearing aids and military power packs to electric cars. Current electrochemical charge storage systems (e.g., Li-ion batteries) are limited in their charge storage density based on their utilization of materials that are restricted to predominantly single electron charge storage processes. One problem associated with vehicle electrification is the battery energy capacity that stores only a fraction of the energy of gasoline. This constrains both the driving range and increases the cost of electric cars.
Recent studies disclose that the storage of multiple electrons per molecular site provides opportunities to greatly enhance electrochemical energy capacity. For example, these include studies concerning multi-electron redox couples for charge storage, ranging from the two redox chemistry of solid sulfur, to the three electron oxidation of aluminum, to the reduction of hexavalent (super) irons and also studies of permanganates, metal chalcogenides, peroxides, polyiodides, iodate, and stannates.
One study for high energy density multi-electron charge storage is the multiple electron oxidation of a vanadium boride anode when coupled with air as a cathode, similar to the system used in zinc (anode)-air (cathode) batteries. The vanadium boride (VB2) undergoes an extraordinary 11 electron per molecule oxidation and provides an intrinsic 11 Faraday, per 72.6 grams/mole (g/mol) molecular weight, which is 4060 milliamperes/gram (mAh/g). Further, with a density of 5.10 kilograms/liter (kg/L), it has a volumetric capacity of Q (VB2)=approximately 20,700 amperes hour/liter (Ah/L). This is ten-fold, 3.5-fold, and 2.5-fold higher than the intrinsic capacity of lithium, zinc or aluminum. Discharge of all 11 electrons occurs at a single anodic potential. The 11 electron per molecule oxidation includes oxidation of the tetravalent transition metal ion, V (+4→+5), and each of the two boron's 2×B (−2→3). Vanadium boride batteries cannot be recharged in a conventional manner and vanadium boride has been susceptible to corrosion, which can result in a loss of battery storage capabilities.
Therefore it is desirable to provide an improved vanadium boride-air multiple electron high capacity battery that may be recharged.